A return to Gaia
by Oniyuri the White Wolf
Summary: Hitomi returns to Gaia to find that the world she once knew had changed. Her return marks the beginning of her life with Van, but in the shadows something dark and treacherous lurks.
1. Chapter 1: A world Appart

A Return to Gaia

In the early morning light she awoke with a start, her body covered in sweat and her legs tangled in the sheets. The dream had woken her yet again, she did not want to admit it but she knew what she had to do. She had no choice; this world would tear its self apart if she did not leave. The visions of smoke and fire were still dancing in front of her eyes when she slipped out of her bed and walked over to the balcony. Her heart was heavy in this knowledge, she had come to love Gaia just as much as she loved Van, but she was out of time. Even the dragons whispered on the cool morning wind that she must not linger any longer. One of her many new gifts she mused, _I can hear the dragons voices, they are so lovely, certainly not the beasts I once saw them for. Poor creatures so misunderstood._ Her thoughts grew dark once again, it was hard for her to fathom that it had been two months since the fall of the Zaibach Empire. Her chest grew tight as an image of Folken flashed in her mind. She had not been able to change his fate, and even if she could have he would he have let her. She felt Van's pain, mourned with him through it all.

Plagued by these dark thoughts she slowly turned away from the window as the sun crept over the horizon. She did not want to see the sunrise, knowing she couldn't stay. Tears blurred her vision as she dressed in the morning light. She took out her old school uniform and dressed herself. She hastily made her way down to the sparring area knowing that Van would be there, he enjoyed sparring in the early morning, and she loved watching him. The moment she caught sight of him her heart skipped a beat. If a man could be called beautiful then Van was that man, his body glistened in the morning sun, his skin had a honey glow and light sparkled around him as beads of dew and sweat were thrown into the air as he danced with his sword.

She will never forget the sight of him on that morning, just the thought of it made her cheeks burn and her body ache for him. They had been so busy once they had finally returned to Fanelia, the rebuilding was underway and she did not get to see Van nearly as much as either of them would have liked. And now she was leaving. She did not even get more than a few stolen kisses before he was needed elsewhere. She sighed and cursed her own inner voice again; _I am having enough trouble leaving without these thoughts invading my mind._

Van noticed her watching him and sheathed his sword as he walked over to where she stood. He had such an amazing smile on his face and before she could react he captured her in his arms and kissed her. His kiss set her body on fire, her desire for him a physical force within her burning to release it. She wrapped her hands around his neck and tangled her fingers into his black silk like hair. She would miss being able to fun her fingers through his unruly hair. When he broke the kiss, somewhat reluctantly, they were both breathing heavily. He chuckled as his dark eyes looked into her green ones, she knew her face would be flushed and she couldn't help but start to giggle as he held her so tight and kissed her like that. A shadow must have crossed her eyes in that moment because he saw her sadness. He pulled away just enough for him to slide one of his hands up to her face so he could cup it. "Hitomi?" his voice was husky as hers would probably be. He said only her name but it was enough, a tear rolled down her face and she suddenly blurted out her thoughts.

"I have to leave Van! I love you and I can't stand the thought of having to go but I –"he suddenly cut off what she would say next by kissing her again. He placed little kisses all down her neck and back up; he kissed away her tears and whispered,

"I know. It was that dream again, right?" she gave a faint nod as he held her. "I know you will come back to me Hitomi, I had hoped to be able to spend more time with you. The dragon's song cannot be ignored can it?" She was surprised to learn that he could hear the dragons as well but then blushed at her own stupidity. _Of course he could hear them too! Folken could so why wouldn't Van too! Stupid girl!_ Her brow furrowed as she thought this. And Van let out another infuriatingly wonderful chuckle.

"It's time Hitomi" said Van as he took her by the hand and lead her to the resting place of the Escaflowne. Once there he let go of her hand so he could leap onto the Escaflowne so he could grasp the Drag energyist from its chest. "I believe it can help you get home" he stated as he pulled her to him. Holding her tight, after what seemed to be far too short of time he held up the energyist and the power within her began to respond to it.

"I will be back I promise" Her eyes filled with tears and her vision blurred, "I love you, Van."

"And I will be waiting for you." he smiled at her and she couldn't help but smile back even though her heart was breaking. In that moment she almost changed her mind, the wonderful sent of his skin made her heart ache,

_Why can't I stay with him? _Her thoughts were betraying her, she was losing her resolve. She closed her eyes and buried her face into his shoulder as she forced herself to release the power within. The beam of light engulfed her; she started lifting off the ground. She felt his arms tighten on her; he did not want to let her go. At the very last moment he whispered into her ear "Marry me?" she was surprised for only a moment and whispered back to him "Yes!" as she was suddenly pulled away by the light, her tears falling like rain to land on Van.

He stood rooted to the spot for a few moments after Hitomi had disappeared. His heart ached to be with her, he clenched his fists and focused on controlling his breathing. He wanted to go with her but he could not leave Gaia, he was the King and he had a duty to his people, He must rebuild Fanelia so that when Hitomi did returned, they would have a place in this world together. Her last word echoed in his mind.

_Yes! _

She would be his queen, and he wanted that more than anything. He felt as if his chest was crushing his heart as he turned and looked back upon the ruin that used to be Fanelia.

_I will wait for you Hitomi. And I will rebuild Fanelia for my people. Please come back to me soon._

Van was sitting on the ledge of his balcony thinking of Hitomi as night descended signalling the end of another long day. The scent of rain drifted to him on the wind, another storm was brewing. Van sighed, deciding to head back inside before the rain started to fall, as he turned the slightest sound reached his ears. He stopped where he was and turned his ear into the wind, listening, the sound came again. A soft whisper was weaved into the wind, a dragon song. He had not heard those voices since Hitomi had been sent back to the Mystic Moon almost three years ago. His heart began to beat faster as more words filtered through the wind, they sang of the wind goddess, and of her return. Van strained to hear more of this strange song just as a flash of light lit up the evening sky as a pillar of light touched the ground in the nearby forest. Without even a second thought he leapt off the balcony his wings burst from his back in a flurry of feathers.

_Hitomi!_

He could hardly contain his excitement as he climbed higher into the sky so he could pinpoint her location before the light faded. His heart nearly stopped as he suddenly realised where she had landed, it was a clearing he had visited many times in the past but times had changed. Fear blossomed in his chest as the light began to fade.

_No! Why did she appear there? _His blood turned to ice as the clearing was consumed by the darkness.

_I won't make in time! _ His inner voice screamed at him, as he caught movement in the woods just before the last of the light died away.

_I can't lose her! Not now that she has finally been returned to me! _His chest burned with every breath as he streaked across the sky.

He was drawing close. He could hear the sound of movement in the trees, heard a low guttural grunt and an inhuman screech as he finally cleared the last of the bushes. He landed hard and drew his sword in one swift movement and then he froze at the sight of her. _Hitomi! _She was so beautiful standing in the center of the clearing; it took a moment for his mind to comprehend what he saw. She was dressed in a long silvery dress much like the ones his mother used to wear. Her eyes were closed and she had her face tilted up towards the sky. The silk cloth danced around her exquisite body, floating in the air as if the fabric had a life of its own. Her body began faintly glowing and feathers made of blue light burst from her back and formed her wings. Then unexpectedly the light around her pulsed outwards and the air crackled as if lightning had struck. The blast from Hitomi made all his hairs stand on end and there was a distinct buzzing in the air, Van snapped out of his initial shock of seeing her and leapt gracefully to Hitomi's side preparing to defend her. The figures in the darkness had put their hands over their ears; some of them simply ran back into the woods to get away. Van was confused as to what just happened; he heard Hitomi move closer to him and felt her hand touch his shoulder. He smiled despite the fact that they may be attacked at any moment, he was just relieved to be able to touch her again.

"Van?" Hitomi's voice was faint, he turned himself enough to see her face but still keep an eye on the woods. _It really is her! She has become even more beautiful since I last saw her. _The glow faded from her skin and left her looking pale. Their eyes met and then without another word she collapsed, Van was quick and managed to catch her before she hit the ground but he had compromised his fighting stance to do it. Struggling to place Hitomi on the ground while scanning the forest he heard the menacing chuckle.

"Well, Van. Whatever will you do now? Here you are alone in our woods, and with only the aid of an unconscious woman." The voice was deep and spoke with difficulty as if trying to form the words around large fangs.

"Master, we have to leave this place, that woman, she did something… The woods have heard her call… I can hear them….. Master please……." A small frail voice spoke to the first. There was a sickening crack and a muffled whimper as the first voice let out a harsh laugh. His laugh died as a loud thump sounded and the ground shook. A low growl reverberated through the forest, causing the trees to tremble. They could hear branches snapping like twigs as something very large made its way towards the clearing.

"So she really did call them….. We will continue another night Van. You will not have a dragon around to protect you forever. And as for that sorceress," He savoured the word with his foul mouth. "She will be a nice prize for my prince. He always had a taste for the exotic ones."

Van tensed at his words, this beast could threaten him all it wanted but not Hitomi! His anger flared at the monster hidden in the woods. Its laughter haunting as the beast made its escape. Van remained in the clearing with Hitomi, he would not leave her, this time he had been able to control his temper enough to stop himself from rushing headlong after his enemy. He took a couple deep breaths as he let some of his tension leak away. From behind him a massive dragon had made its way into the clearing, its large yellow eye inspected Van and then Hitomi. He snuffled the ground and let out another low growl, as he came fully into the clearing. _Now he is a magnificent creature this one! _The dragon looked back to Van as if he had heard Van's very thoughts. _Thank you young one, _a deep unfamiliar voice echoed in Van's head_. _Van involuntarily took a step back from the dragon that just spoke to his mind. _What? _Van was shocked and confused. The dragon seemed to chuckle as steam rolled out of its nostrils. _I felt her presence and so I came. _The dragon focused his eye on Hitomi again seeming satisfied with her it turnedaway and headed back out of the clearing. Van sheathed his sword and knelt to pick up his beloved Hitomi. Once she was in his arms he noticed that the dragon had stopped walking away and was watching him over its shoulder. "_She is to be yours?" _The dragon asked him in its resonating voice as it cocked its head to the side. Van was unsure how to answer this question.

"_If she will have me"_ was all van said as he spread his wings. Van looked around the clearing for anything that could help him ascend into the air to take Hitomi back to Fanelia. Upon finding nothing his eyes met the dragons once more. Van was surprised as he realized the dragon was waiting for him. He hesitantly began walking towards the dragon.

"_You will need more speed than that to take to the air young one!" _The voice in his mind gave Van the impression that it was laughing at him. Van smiled at the magnificent creature as he spread his wings and ran towards the dragon, he ran up along the great dragons' tail, up its back and just as he reached the dragons head there was a great burst of wind and van was launched into the air. Van rose higher into the air with Hitomi safely in his arms. He smiled as he looked down at her sleeping figure, she had finally returned to Gaia.


	2. Chapter 2: Whisper in the Dark

Chapter 2

Red Sky in the Morning

Hitomi sat on the balcony, a silk sheet wrapped around her lithe form, bathing in the light cast by the mystic moon.

_I can hardly believe I have been back in Gaia for six months already. _There was a soft grunt from the bed where Van slept behind her, and Hitomi smiled to herself,_ I have been Queen of Fenelia for only two months, and I still have so much to learn_. She glanced behind herself at Van, her eyes roamed over his prone figure, he had been tired, so by the time he had come to bed he simply collapsed on top of the sheets, without undressing_._ Hitomi, hesitantly, pulled her gaze away from her husband to look out over the nearby forest once again. She had been unable to sleep this night; the dragon song was trying to tell her something but she was having trouble understanding it. Hitomi closed her eyes and focused her thoughts on the song once again. The melody on the wind was subtle. Van and Hitomi had discovered that the dragon song could be very elusive if it so desired, and this song was particularly difficult to interpret. It seemed that every time her mind reached to grasp the meaning, the song would simply shift itself out of reach, as if it were alive.

Hitomi concentrated harder but the melody seemed to be purposefully teasing her by letting her hear a few words then fading so as to hide the true meaning. Her fists clenched and she was about to give it up and return to the bed when the song twisted on the air and understanding suddenly dawned on her.

Hitomi's eyes flashed open, and she quickly placed her hand over her tummy.

"The Dragon's Heir?" Hitomi whispered into the night, the song repeated her words with an almost bubbling excitement, as if to praise her for understanding what it had been trying to tell her. Hitomi felt her eyes burn with unshed tears as her mind grappled with this sudden knowledge, she began to giggle. "Pregnant?" She said almost as if she couldn't believe it yet. The song answered her again with an affirmative swirl of wind that swept over the balcony to wrap itself around her, causing the silk sheet to swirl at her feet.

Hitomi, a bit shaky, rose from the balcony, and turned to head back inside so she could wake Van when the dragon song was unexpectedly shrill. Hitomi abruptly halted and cocked her head to the side, listening. The wind had changed, the song became agitated, and in the far distance Hitomi heard a terrible scream. Hitomi's chest tightened with fear as new words floated by on the wind.

_They hunt for the Wing Goddess._

There was another pitiful screech deep in the woods, then a voice pierced Hitomi's mind. The dragon, with its dying thought, spoke to her.

_My Queen! The Daemon Baltariuc sends his minions. I will not be able to – _

Its voice was suddenly cut off by the pounding agony in her mind. Hitomi's hand flew to her chest and she felt the dragon's death as if it was her own. Her knees gave out and she fell forward crashing hard onto the floor, gasping for air. Every breath she took sent a renewed wave of searing pain throughout her body, her vision began to blur and Hitomi was almost thankful for the darkness that crept up from the depths of her mind, if only for the short reprieve from the pain.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Hitomi fell through the darkness, cold and silent. She felt as if she was floating with no tangible body, but because she thought so her body was suddenly there. She had a moment to wonder where she was before the darkness retreated just enough for her to see the outline of trees. She was now in a forest much like the one bordering Fenelia, Hitomi only vaguely noticed that she was no longer floating but standing among the large trees. A faint whisper of sound caught her attention and Hitomi turned towards where it came, she could vaguely see a thick mist creeping along the forest floor, its wispy fingers reaching outwards. She heard the sound again and took a hesitant step forward, she glimpsed a small reflection under the mist.

As Hitomi leaned closer she could see that there was movement, the ground was writhing with snakes. Her sharp intake of breath seemed loud in the silence, and brought with it the musty aroma given off by so many reptilian bodies. Hitomi gagged as the scent hit her and she brought her hand up to cover her mouth and nose. The raspy sound of their scales rubbing on each other made her skin crawl, Hitomi took a few steps away only to back into something very solid and strangely warm. Hitomi felt an icy fear creep up from the pit of her stomach as she very slowly turned around. Her mind could not quite comprehend what she was looking at but before her was a writhing mass of coils. At the center, where the darkness had dissipated the most, stood a man. He was tall, much taller than any man should be, and strangely attractive. His fangs glistened in the dim light as he smiled down at her, his eyes flashed red.

"Wing Goddess." The figure spoke with a low, powerful voice as if speaking from a deep pit. He sounded amused, as if he saw something interesting. "So nice to make your acquaintance" the man then bowed gracefully to her.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?" Hitomi spoke assertively, her voice did not betray the fear she felt clawing inside her just from the sight of him. The other let out a quiet chuckle, his eyes began to burn with a strange light and his form shifted before her eyes. Where there was once the tall, attractive man, now stood a massive wolf-like creature, its eyes glowing red. He was easily the size of a car, its body was black and appeared as if splattered in tar, the creature's fur glistened with the thick goop. The beast flexed his giant paws, the size of dinner palates, tipped with horribly hooked claws. It laughed at the horrified look on Hitomi's face as she stumbled back from it. That human sounding laughter echoed in the forest as the beast opened its maw revealing long fangs. The teeth looked as if they were made of obsidian. Hitomi swallowed hard as another terrified little gasp tried to escape her, the liquid from the creature began squirming on the ground. As Hitomi watched the goop formed into a mass of writhing snakes. The snakes hissed and slithered over each other, creeping towards her.

"I can smell your fear Goddess." The words formed perfectly from his fanged muzzle. He laughed again, and extended his nose a little closer to her. Hitomi, fighting past the lump of fear in her chest, took a few steps back from him, it's glowing eyes following her every movement.

She stopped abruptly as her foot sank deep into the mist and she felt something brushing her ankle. Her breath caught, she was trapped, and it laughed again while it savored her scent of fear. Suddenly the beast leapt at her, Hitomi sprang into action and dodged to the side but he was not fast enough and the beast snapped its jaws shut on her wrist, razor teeth slicing deep. She closed her eyes against the expected pain and cried out, but there was none. Shocked she opened her eyes again, burning red eyes met her green ones and both stood frozen in each others gaze. Hitomi's vision blurred and the creature before her changed back into the man, glancing down she could see that her wrist was firmly within his grasp.

Hitomi tried to pull her arm away from him but his grip was like steel. The man grinned with his handsome face, now only a few inches from hers. He smiled showing fang and slowly pulled her closer, Hitomi tried to twist her arm out of his grip but it seemed useless. Try and try again she couldn't break his grip on her, all the while the beast of a man smiled at her efforts. Her heart beat faster, she was unsure why but this creature must to touch her any more. True terror gripped her as the man leaned into her as if he would kiss her, and before Hitomi realized it she released a blast of her power directly at the man.

The blue light flashed between them, and the creature's scream of agony was echoed by Hitomi's. The two fell away from each other, Hitomi landed among the snakes, her skin burned where the beast had been holding her. She looked down at her wrist, blinking away tears; she had an angry red burn on every inch of her skin that had been touching his. The smell of burnt hair and tar hung on the air, Hitomi looked over at the creature still standing a few feet away from her. Its facade was gone, the wolf-like form once again stood before her, smoke drifted off of the beasts forearms, and the fur was still smoldering all the way up its chest, the left side of its muzzle was burned just as bad as her wrist. He glared at her, eyes burning with hatred and pain, the beast roared fiercely, hissing and cursing her name. Hitomi regained her feet, the snakes scurried in an attempt to get out of her path.

"Do not think that you will be rid of me so easily Goddess. I am not nearly so tame outside this dream state, as I shall show you soon enough." He bellowed the last at her, his fury making his fur stand on end. With a quiet hiss the beast vanished into a cloud of coiling darkness. Hitomi stood still and watched as the darkness dissipated.

She gingerly touched the burn as if hoping it too would fade but was rewarded with searing pain. She closed her eyes and a feeling of exhaustion overcame her. She felt herself lying on the grass but couldn't remember how or when she had gotted there, the thought of figuring it out seemed like to much effort. Hitomi did not even know how long she had been lying there before sleep came to claim her. All she could remember was a farmiliar voice calling her name from far away then there was the comforting silence of sleep.


End file.
